Sixteen-year-old Cara Leonard and her best friend, Claudia, have always longed to be part of the most popuHumorous and poignant, young adult chick lit

Sixteen-year-old Cara Leonard and her best friend, Claudia, have always longed to be part of the most popular clique in high school, the Populazzi, the polished, charismatic, gorgeous teenagers at the top of what Claudia calls the “Popularity Tower.” But the Populazzi are as out of reach to Cara and Claudia as the stars since they became consigned to the lower reaches of the Tower forever from the day that Cara involuntarily wet her pants in kindergarten and Claudia voluntarily joined her by wetting hers, too. It was an act of solidarity that was social suicide for Claudia, but cemented a deep and lasting friendship extremely important to both girls.

Over the years, the two friends have worked out an entire system of classification for the tiers of the Popularity Tower, the social classes prevailing in high school. The “Happy Hopeless” are the “very basement of the Popularity Tower” who “are so socially out of it, they don’t even know the Tower exists.” The next level up are the “Cubby Crew.” They are “not all created equal.” Though “some barely rank above the Happy Hopeless,” there are others who “are only that little bit of cachet away from being Popularazzi.” Since kindergarten, Cara and Claudia have been “lower-echelon Cubby Crew.” There are many different types of Cubby Crew, including the “Theater Geeks” (self-explanatory), the “Cosmopolitans” (kids who smoke, drink lattes and wear avant-garde clothing), and the “Wasteoids” (androgynous dopers), as well as various unnamed duos, trios and quads—such as Claudia and Cara have been—who are “islands unto themselves.”

The tier above the Cubby Crew are the “DangerZones,” who are “dark, troubled and fascinating.” They don’t care about labels like “popular” and go their own way, but because they are coolly indifferent and morose—unlike the Happy Hopeless—teenagers on every Tower tier “feel honored” at any attention from a DangerZone.

During the summer before this story opens, just before Cara’s junior year in high school, her mother and step-father moved to a town an hour away from Cara’s former public school and placed Cara in a charter school called Chrysella Prep. Claudia decides this is a great opportunity for Cara to remake herself in a new, potentially very popular image. She can accomplish this, Claudia insists, by carrying out Claudia’s grand scheme for social success, a hundred-page handwritten treatise complete with illustrations called “The Ladder.” If Cara studies and follows this ambitious plan, with Claudia coaching her every step of the way and enjoying Cara’s success vicariously, she can rise through the ranks to the very top of the Popularity Tower.

At first Cara considers The Ladder a really cold blooded plan. It is against her warm, generous nature to calculatedly start with a low-ranked boyfriend and step by step progress to increasingly higher-tiered boyfriends until one of the Populazzi males picks her as his consort and catapults her into the stratosphere of Populazzidom. But finding her first boyfriend—not just the first rung of Claudia’s social experiment, but Cara's first boyfriend ever—turns out to be almost instantaneous. Cara literally falls at Archer Jain's feet her first day at Chrysella Prep.

Archer is an enormously talented, cute and adorable Theater Geek. He’s fun to be with, clearly likes Cara a lot, and immediately pulls her into the bosom of his group of zany theater friends. Cara is crazy about him and tells Claudia that if Archer decides he officially wants to make her his girlfriend, she refuses to throw him over on behalf of potential social success. Unfortunately, after six weeks of great times, things go terribly wrong with her relationship with Archer, and it is clear she is never going to be his girlfriend. Claudia convinces Cara that the best way to get over her broken heart is to put herself in Claudia’s hands and follow the steps of The Ladder by attempting a relationship with a DangerZone guy that Cara is physically attracted to. If Cara can become his girlfriend, she’ll make it clear to Archer, and herself, that she’s moved on. But even though the moody DangerZone musician is admired by every kid in school, by associating with him, Cara is drawn into his risky lifestyle and gets day by day farther away from the sensible, kind, well-adjusted teen she used to be before she began to follow the rules of The Ladder.

This book is a superb example of the chick lit genre. The writing is outstanding, and the wonderful plot alternates between scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny and extremely poignant. It is clear from the first that we hear of The Ladder that this plan is doomed to failure and will bring poor Cara to grief. In fact, she herself suspects that from the start. But Claudia is a hilarious Mephistopheles who tempts and cajoles Cara every step of the way along the dangerous path of The Ladder.

Cara is an extremely sympathetic and engaging heroine, and her ultimate antagonist, the Supreme Populazzi, Trista, rather than being a cardboard cutout, clichéd Beautiful Bitch (my term) is a wonderfully layered character. In fact, every one of the characters in this terrific book are fully drawn and fascinatingly complex.

There are few books I can say this about—because I am an extremely jaded reader—but I was riveted to this book, devouring every word. I was at times almost holding my breath, expecting the author to at some point drop the ball and fall into hackneyed writing that so many teen novels and movies with this type of plot are prone to. But she never did. Every scene is well constructed, crucial to the development of the story, and each scene builds on every other in a logical, inevitable, but never predictable way, until the surprising but very satisfying climax.

If you enjoyed the popular 2004 teen film Mean Girls, you will love this book. I highly recommend this book to readers who love a teen comedy with depth, and who like to shed a few tears mixed in with their belly laughs.

Parental guidance note: This book may be too mature for younger teens. Cara experiments with drugs and alcohol, and she and her friends engage in frank discussions of teen sexual activity. While the heroine herself never progresses beyond “making out,” many of her friends do, and it is only a situation beyond her control rather than her own good judgment that keeps her from “going all the way.” Mitigating these sensitive issues, however, is the fact that all of these common teen struggles are presented more as a comically compelling object lesson in the negative results of risky behavior, which makes Cara’s dangerous choices seem anything but the right thing to do. In addition, the author presents multiple teen characters who stress the importance of never driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs....more

Sixteen-year-old Savannah develops a case of serious sibling rivalry when her boyfriend dumps her for her geeky big sister. Soon after, Savannah is fantasizing about how great it would be if her life were like a fairytale, with herself as a princess attending a ball with a handsome prince at her side, when her fairy godmother, Chrysanthemum Everstar, suddenly appears and offers Savannah wishes. Savannah is thrilled at this amazing, magical opportunity, but she nevertheless exercises caution while making her wishes so that nothing will go wrong. Unfortunately, Chrissy is not a full-fledged godmother—hence the moniker, “fair” godmother. Her incompetence lands Savannah in a series of wild adventures within multiple fairytales, including Cinderella, Snow White, and the Middle Ages in general. Along the way Savannah discovers a romantic interest she would never have considered in her own era, when Chrissy tosses Tristan, a boy from Savannah’s class, into fairytale land with Savannah.

I am a huge fan of Janette Rallison. I’ve read everything she’s ever written, and many of her books several times. In my humble opinion, nobody does YA romantic comedy better than her. Normally Rallison does not include fantasy elements in her contemporary romantic comedies, but her venture into fairytale retelling in My Fair Godmother is extremely well done. Chrissy is a wonderful antagonist, a colorfully slapdash fashionista who can’t be bothered to thoroughly listen to Savannah’s wishes. As a result, Chrissy fulfills them in the worst possible way for Savannah as the wacky godmother abruptly flings Savannah and Tristan into arduous situations, which are conveyed by the author in laugh-out-loud scenes of comic mayhem.

Rallison’s stories are always character-centered. She excels at creating compelling growth arcs for her protagonists, believably moving her heroines from an initial perspective that is endearingly passionate and determined—but drolly skewed in its view of life and relationships—toward a hard-earned appreciation of a bigger picture of life by the end of her stories. This is especially true in the heroines’ attitude toward the boys they collide with in Rallison’s rollicking romance plots. That approach is terrifically in evidence in My Fair Godmother.

Another theme that Rallison deals with in many of her YA novels—and which she also does really well—is sisterly competition. It is definitely on display here in Savannah’s humorously troubled relationship with her sister.

Finally, if you’d like a break from the “gritty” and “edgy” fiction dominating the YA market these days, Rallison is just the ticket. You can always count on her YA novels, including this one, to provide a G-rated story suitable for all ages, but which is sophisticated enough in its execution to hold the attention of older teens and adults, as well. This novel, in particular, is filled with enthralling action without resorting to overt violence, in-your-face sexuality, swearing, or wild parties with drugs, alcohol, and smoking.

Captivating third book in the "Dead Is" comic, paranormal, mystery series for teens

Daisy Giordano and her older sisters Rose and Poppy have just returCaptivating third book in the "Dead Is" comic, paranormal, mystery series for teens

Daisy Giordano and her older sisters Rose and Poppy have just returned home from vacation in Italy the summer after Daisy's junior year. Their psychic mother has stayed behind to work on an important case and is unavailable to help solve a big mystery here in Nightshade, the quirky little town where the Giordanos live in Northern California. Doppelgängers of local residents are appearing all over the place, a fact the girls hesitate to mention to their mother because one of the mysterious doubles appears to be their long-lost father. Their mother has never stopped trying to find him for the past six years, and Daisy and her sisters don't want to get their mother's hopes up about him until they are 100% sure that the man who looks and acts like their dad--at least some of the time--is really him. But figuring out the truth is made doubly hard because they are prejudiced in favor of the man due to their desperate longing that he might truly be their beloved father. Fortunately, they have working in their favor Rose's ESP, Poppy's telekinesis, and Daisy's ability to do both those things, as well.

On top of this pressing family problem, Daisy is confounded by the fact that a big portion of the players on the high school football team--including her hunky boyfriend Ryan--have bulked up massively in just the three short weeks Daisy has been in Europe. This seems physically impossible, and Daisy is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, too, while simultaneously attempting, along with her two sisters, to make a little money at a summer job. Rose is working for an eccentric scientist at a secret lab at the local university, Poppy is running a concession stand at the beach, and Daisy is cooking and waiting tables at the local diner. The fact that her boss is permanently invisible and his juke box is enchanted doesn't phase Daisy a bit compared to the many other problems facing her during the weirdest summer on record.

This book is another big hit for Marlene Perez, in her wonderful "Dead Is" series. Daisy is as unstoppable as ever, and the kooky characters in her town alternate between being spooky, scary and downright hilarious, including, besides her boss, the juke box, and the sugar-snarfing doppelgängers, a powerful witch and assorted werewolves and vampires.

This book is the third of five books, which are best enjoyed in order. Book 1 is Dead Is the New Black. Book 2 is Dead Is a State of Mind. Book 4 is Dead Is Just a Rumor. Book 5, the final book in the series, is Dead Is Not an Option. It is scheduled for release in 2011.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys light, humorous YA fantasy stories with an intriguing mystery plot.

Note for parents, teachers and librarians: This book is G-rated. There are no incidents of drinking, drugs or adolescent sex either on or offstage, and Daisy's family relationships are warm and loving.

Delightful second book in the "Dead Is" comic, paranormal, mystery series for teens

Daisy Giordano and her friends and family are back for a second, fuDelightful second book in the "Dead Is" comic, paranormal, mystery series for teens

Daisy Giordano and her friends and family are back for a second, fun-filled paranormal adventure in the wacky town of Nightshade, in Northern California.

A beloved teacher from Daisy's school, Nightshade High, has been savagely killed, and the signs point to a werewolf as the murderer. The secret, supernatural "Council" that rules over the magical citizens of Nightshade is on red alert, determined to figure out if one of their own is guilty. Daisy is determined to bring her sleuthing skills to bear in solving the crime, refusing to leave the case to the Council, the local police chief, and her psychically gifted mother and two older sisters. After all, not so long ago Daisy saved her school's cheerleaders from a rogue vampire using her recently discovered psychic talents. Daisy realizes, though, that because she doesn't have the mastery over her gifts that her family has over theirs, it would be really useful if her boyfriend would lend a hand, as he did with the vampire case. But normally dependable, mellow Ryan has been acting completely out of character lately, showing up late or not at all for appointments with Daisy, bolting away from her with no warning when he does show up, getting into fights with other boys, and taking offense and stomping off in a huff from Daisy for no apparent reason that she can see. Worse, Daisy has noticed him hanging around town in the company of a young woman so lovely, Daisy fears that all of Ryan's behavior problems are because he's in the process of dumping her in favor of her gorgeous rival.

Marlene Perez has done it again, creating a wonderful sequel to Dead Is the New Black. Daisy is a strong, determined heroine surrounded by a wacky cast of characters, including assorted werewolves and vampires, Daisy's precognitive mother, her telekinetic sister Poppy, her mind-reading sister Rose, a gorgeous exchange student named Duke who claims he's a fortune-teller descended from Gypsies, an enchanted juke box at the local diner that sends messages to Daisy through the songs it plays, and her hunky boyfriend Ryan, who's keeping a fascinating secret.

This book is a fun, fast read, and it can stand alone without reading the first book in the series. However, there is a lot of information in the first book that would really enrich the experience of this book if read first.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys light YA fantasy with frequent humor. And for those who have read and loved Dead Is the New Black, I am happy to report there are multiple sequels currently in print. Book 3 is Dead Is So Last Year. Book 4 is Dead Is Just a Rumor. The fifth and final book is Dead Is Not an Option.

Note for parents, teachers and librarians: This book is G-rated. There are no incidents of drinking, drugs or adolescent sex either on or offstage, and Daisy's family relationships are warm and loving.

Daisy Giordano has lived her entire seventeen years in the quirky little town ofA great start to a quirky, young-adult, urban-fantasy, mystery series

Daisy Giordano has lived her entire seventeen years in the quirky little town of Nightshade in Northern California, where vampires, werewolves, banshees, and witches roam freely, unbeknownst to the ordinary residents. Daisy's family members are magically gifted, too--all except Daisy. Her mother receives premonitions and revelatory images; her eighteen-year-old sister Poppy moves objects without touching them via telekinesis, and her nineteen-year-old sister Rose reads minds. Daisy's mom insists she's a late bloomer, but Daisy has little hope she will ever be able to do anything psychic.

As a result, Daisy feels left out in her family at the best of times as the only "norm," but when her mother, who uses her powers to help the local police chief, asks Rose to assist her in figuring out who murdered a local cheerleader, it's the last straw. Daisy may not have psychic powers, but the crime happened to one of her fellow students at Nightshade High School, where Daisy is a junior and Poppy a senior, and she's determined to do something about it. Whoever--or whatever--killed the cheerleader is starting to harm other cheerleaders, and at the top of Daisy's list of suspects is her ex-friend and current enemy, the gorgeous head-cheerleader, Samantha. Sam has returned to school this fall looking and dressing like a vampire, and Daisy thinks Sam might actually be one. With the help of her long-time best friend Ryan, Daisy sets out to solve the case while trying not to get distracted by her uncomfortably non-platonic feelings for Ryan, who has recently morphed into an amazingly hot guy.

I loved this book! It's a fun read, and a fast one--especially since I couldn't put it down once I started it. Daisy is an immensely likable heroine with a great family, and her romantic interest, Ryan, is adorable. Nightshade itself has a delightful cast of quirky paranormal characters, and one of my favorites is the enchanted juke box at the local diner. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy with a light, and frequently comic, touch.

Note for parents, teachers and librarians: This book is G-rated. There are no incidents of drinking, drugs or adolescent sex either on or offstage, and Daisy's family relationships are warm and loving.

Chick-lit dramedy of a quirky teen's struggle with her father's serious illness

Fifteen-year-old freshman Payton Gritas is a straight-A student and basChick-lit dramedy of a quirky teen's struggle with her father's serious illness

Fifteen-year-old freshman Payton Gritas is a straight-A student and basketball player with a great best friend and loving parents, but her world falls apart when she discovers her parents have kept a huge secret from her for months. Her father has multiple sclerosis. Payton is furious that her parents shared her father's diagnosis with her two older brothers but not her. She is also fearful about what MS will do to her father. Can he continue work as a dental surgeon? And what about basketball? He has played it his whole life, including on a college team, and taught the game to Payton, but MS is making it increasingly hard for him to play. And what if MS actually kills him?

Payton's drops out of basketball, which she feels too guilty playing when her father can't, lets her grades drop, and refuses to talk to her parents. As her silence drags on, her mother insists that Payton talk to the counselor at her school. Payton reluctantly agrees but struggles with the "focusing" exercise the counselor assigns. She wants Payton to choose something to concentrate on that she has no emotional investment in and write detailed reactions and feelings about this "focus object" in a journal in order to work up to eventually being able to face her feelings about her father's illness.

While ignoring a video in biology class, Payton is struggling to come up with a focus object when Sean Griswold, who has sat in front of her since third grade because his name appears before hers alphabetically, turns and remarks that he has trouble focusing on videos in class. Payton suddenly decides this is a sign. She should write about Sean Griswold. Specifically the part of him she knows best, his head, which has been blocking her view of the teacher for years.

Many author's would choose a dark tone to approach a serious subject like a major illness. Instead, Lindsey Leavitt employs the intriguing alternation of drama and comedy often called "dramedy." The main source of Leavitt's humor is Payton's quirky take on life. Whether intentionally or not, over the course of the book Ms. Leavitt also impressively reveals Payton's awkward, and frequently funny, progress through many of the classic stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance), famously described in Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's, On Death and Dying.

There are three main plots centered on Payton's significant relationships, each presented from Payton's comically skewed perspective. The lynch pin of the novel is Payton's relationship with her father. Though she spends most of the book refusing to even talk to him, the love and concern emanating from both of them are clearly and touchingly demonstrated. Ms. Leavitt also does a wonderful job presenting the struggles of the family as a whole as they adjust to the major changes in their dynamic due to the father's MS.

A second important plot is Payton's relationship with her best friend Jaclyn. Jac is from a prosperous family, but her father deserted them, and her mother neglects Jac. As a result, Jac's main emotional support is Payton. Payton was there for Jac when Jac's father left, acting as both a "drill sergeant" and protector to her lovely, boy-crazy friend. To keep Jac safe, who was a young teen at the time, Payton told a boy that Jac was becoming dangerously physically involved with that Jac had "mono so he would stop jamming his tongue down her throat every time they saw each other."

Now that Payton has father problems of her own, Jac does her best to be there for Payton. But since the two girls have very different personalities, Jac's approach to emotional support is flamboyantly different than Payton's. She is an impulsive, social butterfly into fashion and the drama club, and all of her help involves cheerleading Payton by shoving Payton into coming out of her despair and self-imposed isolation. In particular, Jac believes that Payton should get to know much more about Sean than just the back of his head. Jac's crazy schemes to help her friend semi-stalk Sean as "research" are another strong source of humor in this book.

A third central plot is the romantic relationship that develops gradually and subtly between Payton and Seth. What a welcome change of pace in today's teen novels, where obsession is so often presented as "love," to encounter non-threatening (but anything but weak) Seth who is an empathetic listener, compassionate, and an all-round decent guy. He is also a dedicated athlete who swims and bikes and has the goal to participate in a triathlon when he is old enough. He and Payton begin their relationship bonding over hardcore biking, which offers the athletic Payton a chance to substitute another challenging sport for the basketball she's sacrificed.

By the way, I personally found the biking scenes believable, including how relatively quickly Payton got into shape for a marathon, since I myself rode in a 100-mile marathon at eighteen having only previously ridden 26 miles tops before that day. The fact that Payton is in shape from basketball and that she constantly bikes both outside and in spinning classes before the marathon makes her quite believably prepared to take on a 75-mile marathon.

Finally, there are several other subplots built around Payton's relationships, and each of the characters involved, though only relatively briefly onstage, are vivid, realistic and poignantly sympathetic. They include Payton's mother, her two brothers, and most of all Grady, Seth's Goth friend. The evolution of Payton's understanding of who Grady is and what his life is actually like is brilliantly done. The scene that is the climax of this relationship is one of the most moving parts of the book

I highly recommend this book for all ages, not just teens. There is no violence, foul language, sexual content, alcohol or drugs, so it can safely be read even by preteens, but it is emotionally engaging enough to be enjoyed by adults.

Seventeen-year-old Kate has a her life planned out, and it doesn't include college, whiA hilarious young adult chick lit novel with a matchmaking plot

Seventeen-year-old Kate has a her life planned out, and it doesn't include college, which she considers a waste of valuable time. She's determined to make her first million no later than twenty-five as a successful entrepreneur, and she's convinced the way to do that is to keep her eyes open and not miss a good opportunity. Which is why she is ready, willing and able when the chance of a lifetime falls in her lap.

A hunky jock named Brandon asks her to an important athletic banquet and, overnight, she goes from a social nonentity to a guru on dating as the girl who's hooked the biggest hottie around. Offers start pouring in of quick cash for dating advice, which Kate is delighted to accept. The only problem is, she can't handle this gig without masculine input. Fortunately, her best friend's older brother, Dal, who's a senior and a hunk in his own right, is willing to take on the job--for a hefty percentage of the take.

This book is laugh-out-loud funny. Kate is an adorable, quirky heroine, and her encounters with desperate girls, clueless Brandon and cleverly conniving Dal are hilarious. Tina Ferraro is fantastic at romantic comedy. Her writing style is smooth. Her plots are comically convoluted, and she knows how to write a strong, sympathetic heroine. I highly recommend this book, and her other two romantic comedies, The ABC's of Kissing Boys and Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress.

For other similar books, I recommend also The Oracle of Dating by Allison van Diepen and A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker.

Nicolette Antonovich bought the prom dress of her dreams toward the end of her sophomore year when one ofA cute and funny, young-adult romantic comedy

Nicolette Antonovich bought the prom dress of her dreams toward the end of her sophomore year when one of the cutest guys in school, Rod "Rascal" Pasqual, asked her to the prom. But her ecstasy turned to agony two days before the big event when Rascal suddenly dumped her and took his ex-girlfriend instead. Nic still cringes at the memory of that humiliating fiasco, but none of those painful emotions have affected her appreciation for her wonderful prom dress. She finds comfort and reassurance in secretly trying on the pink vintage gown, which does wonders for her slight, athletic figure, making her feel lovely and desirable--in spite of her terrible luck with boys.

As it turns out, it's fortunate Nic has something in her life that is comforting, because the problems she's facing her junior year are far worse than even the prom debacle of the previous spring. Her mother is struggling to make money as a real estate agent and the bank is about to foreclose on Nic's childhood home. Her uncaring father is too involved with his two-year-old "replacement" daughter in his new marriage to be concerned with Nic and her mom. Scandalous rumors about Nic are circulating around school that could get her kicked off the volleyball team and ruin her chances for a sports scholarship for college. She's finding it hard to resist the flirting of the jerk who dumped her. And though her best friend's older brother may be the biggest hunk at her school, he's nothing but a thorn in Nic's side, constantly giving her unsolicited advice.

Nic is an adorable heroine, feisty and determined and just plain cute. The way she tries to help her mother is admirable, and her struggles with her feelings of jealousy and abandonment due to her father's divorcing her mother and starting a new family are movingly portrayed. I also found the juxtaposition of Nic's assertiveness and strong athletic talent with the conventional femininity of her love of a frilly prom dress a fascinating contrast. And her frustrating encounters with her two gorgeous romantic interests are laugh-out-loud funny.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves chick lit or romantic comedy. Tina Ferraro is fantastic at writing it, both in this book and her two other wonderful romantic comedies, How to Hook a Hottie and The ABC's of Kissing Boys.

Is it magic or madness? A young adult contemporary fantasy about Cupid in Seattle

Sixteen-year-old Alice Amorous is the daughter of bestselling romanceIs it magic or madness? A young adult contemporary fantasy about Cupid in Seattle

Sixteen-year-old Alice Amorous is the daughter of bestselling romance author, Belinda Amorous. Due to her mother's suffering from years of untreated bipolar disorder, Alice's family life has been highly unstable, leading to the present crisis of her mother being institutionalized for catatonic depression.

Alice has no father to step in and take care of her, because she's the product of a one-night stand occurring during one of her mother's manic phases--and Alice needs help badly. Her mother earned a great deal of money over the years from her writing, but her mania caused Belinda to blow all her earnings, and Alice is now scrambling to pay their bills and keep up appearances so that Social Services doesn't take her away from her mother.

The one worthwhile manic-inspired purchase of Alice's mother is the four-unit rental house where Alice and her mother have lived for several years. They share it with a grandmotherly lady named Mrs. Bobot, an elderly minister named Reverend Ruttles, and a nurturing, gay, legal secretary named Archibald. In addition, Mrs. Bobot's anorexic granddaughter Realm, who is Alice's age, is visiting for the summer, but she's no friend to Alice. All Realm cares about is publishing the horror novel she's written, and she threatens to expose Belinda's mental illness to the world if Alice doesn't forge a letter in Belinda's name recommending Realm's novel to Belinda's editor.

The three eccentric adults in Alice's life are very concerned when, after a sudden fainting spell, she becomes obsessed with a mysterious white-haired boy named Errol and begins to hear his voice in her head. Alice is worried, too, because she isn't sure if what is happening to her is magic or madness. Is she starting to exhibit signs of the same mental illness that has destroyed her mother's life? Or could it actually be true that she's been shot by the invisible arrow of the one and only Eros, commonly known as Cupid?

Ms. Selfors is an excellent writer who particularly excels at quirky characters and situations, and that talent is very much in evidence here. I also enjoyed that all the adults in this book truly care about Alice. In a delicate, non-preachy way, Ms. Selfors uses every character in this book, even the obvious antagonists like Realm and Errol/Eros, to offer crucial insights to Alice that allow her to grow in emotional maturity in believable ways by the end of the book.

Ms. Selfors is extremely gifted at writing comedy, but in the case of this book, she has created a "dramedy," a mix of comedy and drama. Her two previous young adult novels, Coffeehouse Angel and Saving Juliet, are entirely comedic with strong fantasy elements and light subject matter that is perfectly suited to their humorous tone. In contrast, Mad Love contains less fantasy than either of these books, and it covers much more serious issues, including mental illness in multiple characters, cancer, eating disorders, illegitimacy, and child neglect and abandonment.

In this book, the laughs come as a kind of "comic relief" from Alice's ongoing painful struggles with the circumstances surrounding her mother's tragic mental illness. Some examples of this comedy include a scene where Errol shoots Alice with an invisible, magical arrow causing her to yell wild accusations that no one believes, and the first chance Alice has to actually talk with Tony Lee, the boy she's been staring at every morning for weeks from her kitchen window as he rides by her home on his skateboard.

For those wondering what ages are suitable for this book, it seems to be aimed at preteens and younger teens, that is ages 11-14, for several reasons: In spite of the hard life Alice has lived, she seems very naive for her sixteen years. Her romance with Tony, the skateboard boy, is definitely G-rated. And the inflated way in which the author portrays both Alice's and Realm's novel writing achievements is unrealistic to a degree that is usually only found in middle-grade novels.

There is only one situation in this story that is slightly questionable for this age group: Alice's magically induced obsession with Errol/Eros leads to one brief but sensual kiss, and he shamelessly confesses to Alice that he has used his magical arrows to take (presumably sexual) advantage of countless women over the past 2000 years.

I was delighted to learn there was a sequel to The Oracle of Dating, which I enjoySequel to Oracle of Dating, a hilarious young-adult, chick-lit novel

I was delighted to learn there was a sequel to The Oracle of Dating, which I enjoyed very much. Comedic YA seems to be an endangered species these days, and this book is very well-written chick lit.

Soon after the book begins, Kayla’s relationship with her terrific boyfriend, Jared, goes on the rocks when he asks to slow things down between them. Kayla is so hurt by this rejection that she breaks up with him. For several years she has been offering practical dating advice to her friends and to her older sister, a skill that she expanded into a dating-advice website called The Oracle of Dating in the first book of this series. In order to overcome her broken heart, Kayla decides to scan through her own breakup advice from past advice columns and use it to get over Jared.

This book works both as a sequel and a standalone book. Kayla is a realistic teen, but a very special one, with lots of spunk and a very sympathetic need to not buckle under adversity but to just keep going. Her romantic misadventures as she puts her toes back in the dating water are hilarious, and, as all comedy does, the book provides an upbeat ending.

Lizzie Bennet has just spent a grueling first semester at the ritzy, all-girl Longbourn Academy. She and her bestCute retelling of Pride and Prejudice

Lizzie Bennet has just spent a grueling first semester at the ritzy, all-girl Longbourn Academy. She and her best friend Jane are scholarship students surrounded by the offspring of very rich parents. Jane has a crush on wealthy Charles, who attends a nearby, equally upper-class boys' academy. None of the male students there attract Lizzie, and when she meets Charles's best friend, Darcy, Lizzie is positive that he won't be an exception to the rule who can overcome her prejudice against arrogant, elitist boys.

This is a really fun read. It is extremely well written and highly entertaining with plenty of laughs. If you are looking for relief from all the gritty, dark reads dominating YA fiction these days, and especially if you have had enough of teen romance novels with instant obsession passing for love, you'll truly enjoy this terrific romantic comedy's approach. Much like her progenitor, Elizabeth Bennet of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (P&P), Lizzy is a strong, intelligent, independent and witty heroine who would never fall at any boy's feet the second she meets him, no matter how gorgeous he is.

The author has done a great job keeping the spirit of both Charles Bingley's personality and Fitzwilliam Darcy's in this book. Charles is very genial and sweet, and Darcy is very attractive and very proud. In addition, all the major subcharacters of P&P get excellent remakes for this story, contributing greatly to the comic mayhem.

Phoebe Castro is the daughter of a football superstar who died from unknown causes six yearsA hilarious romantic fantasy that is a gift from the gods!

Phoebe Castro is the daughter of a football superstar who died from unknown causes six years earlier. Her dad encouraged her athleticism since earliest childhood and her happiest memories are running with him. Her whole life and all her dreams for the future center around winning a track scholarship to her dream school, the University of Southern California near where she's lived her whole life in Los Angeles. She and her two best friends since kindergarten have had plans for years to attend USC together. Then, out of the blue, Phoebe's mother returns from a visit to her husband's relatives in Greece the summer before Phoebe's senior year in high school with a Greek fiancé in tow. When her mom informs Phoebe she's getting married within the week and they're moving to Greece, Phoebe freaks out and refuses to go. But she and her mother are extremely close, and ultimately, Phoebe gives in.

After an exhaustingly long journey, Phoebe finds herself stranded on a Greek island with no way to get off it except by boat. Her step-father is head of a super-exclusive private academy that Phoebe is expected to attend, and she soon learns there is no way she will ever fit in there. Her step-father, all the teachers, and every student but her is the descendant of a Greek god, and they all have super powers!

Phoebe struggles with the step-sister from hell, a step-father who can read her mind, fellow students who look on her as inferior for being an ordinary human, and an unwelcome crush on a gorgeous fellow runner who veers between being kind and gentlemanly toward her and sabotaging her efforts on the school track team with magic. Through it all, she does her best to keep her eye on the main goal--place in the top three in every race she's in and maintain a B average so she can get her scholarship and get off the island at the end of the school year.

This book is so much fun! I smiled throughout it and many times laughed out loud at some truly hilarious moments. The premise is just great. Very different from the Percy Jackson books. To such an extent that I would not agree this is a "knock-off" or imitation of them. People have been writing novels about the Greek and Roman gods long before Percy Jackson. I've enjoyed those kind of books whenever I could find them for years. And this particular addition to gods books is one of the best ever.

The friendships are appealing. The romantic plot is adorable, and for once the adults aren't all horrible. I really liked Phoebe's therapist mom, and her mind-reading step-dad is a very understanding guy. I liked that Phoebe gets into her main conflict in the story not because her parents are jerks who abandon her, but because her mother really wants to be with the man she loves--leading to the inevitable upheaval caused when step-families are created by a second marriage. There is also conflict created because Phoebe's mom and step-dad really want the best for her education, and her mother wants to be with her, but Phoebe doesn't want to change her long-time plans for university. I also loved the way Phoebe uses psychological insights she gained from her mother to help her friends the way her mother has helped her over the years.

What I loved most of all was Phoebe's running. I enjoyed the descriptions of it throughout the book and the way her running is a theme that extends from the beginning to the end of the book and is strongly involved in the book's climax and resolution, which is very cleverly done. Speaking of which, I loved the ending. It wasn't at all predictable, but it was exactly right.

Seventeen-year-old Fiona, along with all the other seniors of East Columbus High School, is outraged whA side-splitting marriage-of-convenience comedy

Seventeen-year-old Fiona, along with all the other seniors of East Columbus High School, is outraged when the principle and guidance counselor announce that their participation in a new marriage-education class is mandatory for graduation. Each senior is paired up with a fake marriage partner not of their choosing for the entire school year. They are forced to earn money together, do a budget, participate in a social activity, figure out together how to solve randomly assigned life problems, and meet weekly for marriage counseling with the guidance counselor. Fiona's best friend Marcie doesn't come off too badly. She's paired with the music-mad Johnny Mercer who is a gentle giant and extremely funny. No such luck for Fiona. Not only didn't she get paired with the one guy that would have made this whole exercise worth doing, her long-time, unrequited crush, Gabe, but to add insult on injury, Gabe is placed with Fiona's biggest enemy. Amanda is a beautiful, arrogant cheerleader who's been calling Fiona Princess Pee Pants ever since she wet her pants in public in second grade. And to make matters as bad as possible, Fiona is matched with Amanda's jock boyfriend, Todd, who plays pranks on Fiona that make Amanda's taunts over the years look like friendly hugs. But Fiona doesn't take Todd's inciting actions lying down. She pranks him right back, and the war is on.

This book is repeatedly laugh-out-loud funny. Fiona is a strong, determined heroine, and her sparring with Todd is hilarious. In the midst of the humor, though, is a compelling coming-of-age story line as Fiona learns, through her travails with the marriage-education course, a great deal about her friends, her enemies, and herself that she never realized before.

This is Kristin Walker's debut novel, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! For those who enjoy this book, I recommend several other YA romantic comedies, including The Oracle of Dating by Allison van Diepen and Tina Ferraro's The ABC's of Kissing Boys, How to Hook a Hottie, and Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress. ...more

Clever, original, young-adult vampire romance, which is book 1 of a trilogy

This YA novel has a wonderful hook that drew me in instantly: a geeky high-Clever, original, young-adult vampire romance, which is book 1 of a trilogy

This YA novel has a wonderful hook that drew me in instantly: a geeky high-school senior discovers she's a vampire princess betrothed to a gorgeous vampire prince.

I love paranormal comedy, and to discover this book is a comedy with vampires was like Christmas and the Fourth of July rolled into one for me! Other delights for me are the fact that the author provides not only the point of view of Jessica, but of the understandably arrogant vampire prince, Lucius, as he writes hilariously disgruntled update letters to his vampire uncle back in Romania. The arc of the romance between Jessica and Lucius is also pleasingly slow--rather than the insta-love so common in YA paranormal romance. Along the rocky road from initial comic enmity to romantic feelings for each other, the author provides a wealth of highly entertaining verbal sparring between these two vibrant characters.

Since this is YA romantic comedy vs. an adult romance plot, not surprisingly there is a love triangle. But fortunately (for me at least), the second male romantic interest doesn't hold a candle to Lucius in personality, and he's merely a plain-vanilla human with no magical powers. Thus, I had no second thoughts at all about vastly preferring Lucius to the human, which is my ideal type of triangle.

For those interested in age appropriateness, this book can safely be read by younger teens, but is intelligently enough written to engage the attention of older teens--and adults--as well.

After five failed romances in the past year, Polly Martin has sworn off boys, but it's a difficult vow to keep. She runs iFun, breezy, chick lit novel

After five failed romances in the past year, Polly Martin has sworn off boys, but it's a difficult vow to keep. She runs into ex boyfriends everywhere she goes and, on some level, she's still attracted to every one of them. Worse, she also seems to constantly encounter Xander Cooper, a skateboarder she's known for years who's suddenly gotten uncomfortably good looking. He spends a lot of time at Wild Waves, a Western-themed water park where she's working for the summer. As if life weren't complicated enough with her boy problems, Polly has to move into her little sister's room so her grandmother can stay in hers when she comes for a long visit. Normally, Polly would be delighted to see Grandma, who writes an advice column for the lovelorn called Miss Swoon--Polly could certainly use some guidance. But Grandma has suddenly gone man-crazy, and is doing anything but following her own sound advice.

This book is enjoyable chick lit that is often very funny. Polly's wry observations about her job, her ex boyfriends, her family, and life in general are a hoot but, at the same time, the book conveys an important, underlying message. Polly has spent her teen years twisting herself into a pretzel to go along with whatever passions her boyfriend of the moment is pursuing. Over the course of the book, she begins to learn who she is as a person and what she truly wants, outside of the needs and desires of some guy who treats her like a convenient toady to his goals. ...more

Fifteen-year-old Ondine de Groot lives at her family's business, a combination hotel and pub in the imaginaryOriginal, cute, fairytale romantic comedy

Fifteen-year-old Ondine de Groot lives at her family's business, a combination hotel and pub in the imaginary Eastern European country of Brugel. Ondine has worked for years alongside her mother, father and two older sisters cleaning rooms, serving customers and scrubbing dirty dishes. But at the start of the story her mother has sent her to the other side of Brugel to Psychic Summercamp for several weeks in order to develop her extra-sensory skills. Though these are accepted as a normal and desirable part of life in Brugel, Ondine doesn't believe she has any such talents, in spite of her mother's insistence that Ondine must be psychic because it runs in the family. Bored and homesick after only a week at camp, Ondine decides to sneak out of camp and run away to her home. Her only hesitation before leaving is what to do with Shambles. He's an adorable ferret who showed up not long before, "face-deep in her secret stash of Brugelwurst sausage," and he's been following her like a lap dog ever since. He's so attached to Ondine, in fact, she feels guilty about leaving him behind. She's convinced her mother wouldn't want a ferret at their hotel, so she tells herself if she brings Shambles along, she can find him a good home with someone else. In the midst of her trip home, though, Shambles suddenly begins talking to her in a thick Scottish accent, and Ondine wonders if she's gone crazy. Shambles assures her she hasn't. He can talk because he used to be a Scottish laird named Hamish until he angered a witch. She put a spell on him that changed him into a ferret and has also preserved him, in a non-aging state, for scores of years. And thus begins the hilarious adventures of Ondine's "Summer of Shambles."

The structure of this book is quite original. The author has written it in a fairy-tale, omniscient voice with a witty, intrusive narrator who reminds me of a combination of the narrator in Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice and the voiceover narrator of the classic movie, A Christmas Story. Ondine is an appealing character, producing many very amusing moments as she is tugged in multiple directions by the demands of her various family members, but most of all by the antics of Shambles/Hamish. Ondine's quirky relatives are a big part of the fun, especially her mother, and the villain is very well suited to a fairy tale. But of all the great characters in this book, Shambles/Hamish steals the show. He is outrageously outspoken, and a hilarious mixture of man and ferret in his living habits. His eternal pursuit of sausage is one of the cutest plot devices for getting Shambles in trouble throughout the book, and his distinctive take on life expressed in a steady stream of Scottish colloquial expressions had me constantly chuckling. Finally, like all good romantic comedies, this book has a satisfying, upbeat ending.

The author of Ondine is from Australia, and this book was originally published in Great Britain. According to the author's website, she is busy writing a sequel so we have more of the wonderful world of Shambles and Ondine to look forward to. Hopefully the American release won't be delayed too long because I can't wait!

Fifteen-year-old Zoe and her mother are witches living in Knoxville, Tennessee. They are descendYA paranormal chick lit with witches and magic potions

Fifteen-year-old Zoe and her mother are witches living in Knoxville, Tennessee. They are descended from a lineage of alchemists who were granted the gift of making magical potions from the ancient Greek god, Zeus. Unlike her mother and grandmother, who have no particular talent or interest in making potions, Zoe is a potions prodigy. Not only can she concoct classic, time-tested potions, but she experiments and develops new twists. Her magnum opus is devising multiple, viable substitutions for toad slime, a crucial-but-disgusting ingredient in thousands of potions.

Magical potions can do almost anything imaginable, including making someone rich, slender, recover from serious illness--or turn into a lovesick fool. There's one big catch, though: witches have to use their magic selflessly for others. If they employ it for their own personal benefit, there is a dangerous price to pay. The witch sprouts facial deformities commensurate in their eyesore quotient with the size of the witch's ill-gotten gains, and her health also suffers. In short, any witch foolhardy enough to continue long term with self-serving magic will eventually end up as an abysmally ugly corpse.

Zoe's father is a brilliant, nuclear physicist and non-witch who doesn't believe entirely in magic, but over the years he has enthusiastically aided Zoe with her potion experiments, with the same tight protocols he utilizes for his own research at work. But her dear, dependable dad blew up their family, and his relationship with Zoe, a year ago when he dumped her mother for another woman. Not long ago her father's girlfriend dumped Dad as well. But instead of coming back to Mom, he has started dating someone else. And to Zoe's horror, it's someone she knows--the mother of one of her tenth-grade classmates, Jake.

Zoe has been secretly in love with Jake for years, to no avail, because until very recently, he was her best friend Anya's boyfriend. Suddenly, Anya drops Jake for another boy, but before Zoe has a chance to date Jake herself, the craziness of their parents' romance gets in the way.

Zoe is an extremely sympathetic heroine. I loved the way she uses her magic for others and her goals for her future life as a witch.

This is a terrific, paranormal, chick lit novel, with a fun romance between Zoe and Jake.

This isn't a comedy that merely offers an occasional smile to the reader. In fact, there are frequent laugh-out-loud moments generated by the need for Zoe and her mother, and later their visiting witch friends, to keep their magic secret from non-magical friends. The climax occurring on Halloween is wonderful, with tons of comic, magical mayhem.

All the threads of this story are tied up in a satisfying way at the end, but there is a strong setup for a sequel, and I for one cannot wait to read it.

This book is a "clean read," appropriate for readers as young as 11 or 12, but it is a clever enough story that all ages will enjoy it.

Sixteen-year-old Maggie is a brilliant safecracker who's been helping her international-spy parents with their assignments since early childhood, the three of them assuming a string of false identities as they expose high-level crime all over the planet. In the course of Maggie's adventurous life, however, there is one experience she's never had--high school. Until the moment she's offered her first solo assignment in New York City, she's always been home schooled. Now she'll attend a $30,000/year exclusive private school in Manhattan in order to befriend Jesse, a boy her age who is the son of a mega-rich media mogul who is about to break a story that could ruin the lives of Maggie and her parents--and many other spies in their secret organization. Maggie is thrilled to have a chance to prove her mettle as a spy, but two major problems stand in her way: she's intensely attracted to handsome, witty Jesse, and she forms an unlikely but important friendship with Roux, a former Mean Girl who has been a social outcast since the previous school year when she slept with her best friend's boyfriend.

This book is primarily a chick-lit, spy-caper novel, and Maggie's relationships with her unconventional-but-loving parents and her lock-picking mentor, Angelo (who may or may not be an assassin) are simply terrific. Angelo is one of the most amazing characters I've seen in a YA novel in years. His tenderness toward Maggie is lovely, and the mysterious nature of his spy work adds an additional dimension to him that is fascinating. The requisite orphaning necessary for all YA protagonists so they can fight their own battles is not achieved via the common means employed in YA of parental neglect, incompetence, or general cluelessness. Instead it happens because of the nature of Maggie's spy assignment.

I loved Maggie's friendship with Roux, who is both extremely funny and very touching as she learns the true meaning of friendship for the first time ever as she connects with Maggie.

The romance with Jesse is absolutely wonderful. I am a sucker for clever repartee between the heroine and her love interest in a comedy, and this book is full of funny dialogue between them.

Both relationships are a first for Maggie, who has never had the chance to be around kids her age. All three teens have been wounded by past life experiences, and it is very moving to see how being together strengthens and heals all of them.

There is plenty of action-adventure in the story as well. The climax is very exciting, and the resolution of the story is supremely emotionally satisfying.

I have no idea if the author plans a sequel, but if she does, there is plenty of room for more comic spy adventures for Maggie and crew. I'm also very grateful that all the loose ends are tied up in this story so we are not left with an aggravating cliffhanger.

Fans of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series will love this book, as will fans of Investigating the Hottie by Juli Alexander.

Mattie Lowe's father is a famous, wealthy artist who has been divorced six times. He's a sweet guy, but utAbsolutely wonderful YA romantic comedy!!!!,

Mattie Lowe's father is a famous, wealthy artist who has been divorced six times. He's a sweet guy, but utterly obsessed with his art, and even when he marries other artists, they feel neglected and leave him. Mattie is the daughter of his first wife. Ella Christensen is the daughter of Wife Number Two, who married Mattie's dad when the girls were two and divorced him a few years later. Mattie is the only biological child of her father, but he always considered Ella his daughter, and when Ella's mother died of breast cancer at the end of the girls' sophomore year, Ella came to live with them because she didn't know who or where her biological father was.

Mattie likes Ella, but she's very conflicted about her. She's jealous of Ella because she's a beautiful, blond cheerleader who is popular with everyone at their elite, private school, teachers and students alike. Yet Ella is anything but conceited. In fact, she's practically a saint, constantly involved in good causes, and kind and supportive of everyone, especially Mattie. Ella's major flaw as far as Mattie is concerned is that, ever since the end of their junior year, Ella has been dating Jake Kingston, a boy that Mattie considers Ella's male counterpart. He's equally gorgeous, popular and kind to everyone he meets, and Mattie intellectually realizes that Jake and Ella are made for each other. But what her mind knows, her heart refuses to accept, because Mattie has been hopelessly in love with Jake since she was nine years old.

I am a huge fan of romantic comedy, and this is an utterly outstanding example of that genre. The humor comes from the wit of the heroine, and the hilarious repartee between her and Jake. I love them both. The subcharacters are also vividly drawn, including Ella, Mattie's father, her callously critical mother, the school principal, Mattie's art teacher whom her father is dating, the Mean Girl amusingly named Mercedes Bentley, and Mercedes's equally malicious boyfriend Scott.

The book is set in California, near the beach, and it is accurately portrayed. The author uses a lot of cultural references, but they are never irritating because they are always funny, and they range across a broad period of time, from the 80's forward, so they won't become dated if this little gem of a book becomes a classic.

There is a really fun subtext of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice within the story itself simultaneously to Jake and Mattie overtly working as a team on an assignment for their English class, putting P&P into a modern context. Mattie creates anime drawings of P&P characters, and Jake writes an accompanying script. Meanwhile, the entire book echoes P&P in that Jake's personality contains features of both Fitzwilliam Darcy and Charles Bingley, Mattie has many similarities to Elizabeth Bennet, and Ella is very much like Jane Bennet.

The HEA ending is utterly delightful, and the author promises a sequel which occurs four years after this story, in which we will have a chance to experience these wonderful characters again. I can't wait.

For those interested in parental guidance information: This is a G-rated, "clean" read. Mattie is a virginal girl who has never been kissed. There are no wild parties and no underage sex, drugs or alcohol.

Ally Grange is a classic Good Girl. She doesn't go to wild parties where other teens drink and hookup, unlike Bad Boy GrifWonderful YA romantic comedy

Ally Grange is a classic Good Girl. She doesn't go to wild parties where other teens drink and hookup, unlike Bad Boy Griffin (Griff the Grief-Master) Piper. To her dismay, she's been unable to outgrow a crush-from-afar she's had on Griff for several years now, ever since he gallantly came to her defense when his hockey teammates embarrassed her by teasing her when she clumsily dropped her books in junior high. But in spite of her secret infatuation with Griff, Ally is positive she would never date a boy like him. Not that he would ever consider asking her out, because he doesn't date anyone. He's never so far had a girlfriend, only brief flings.

Instead of dating Griff or any other Bad Boy, for the past two years Ally has dated a Good Boy, sweet, sensitive Aiden, who shares her passion for writing songs and spending cozy evenings on the couch watching movies. Her best friend insists that Aiden is more of a girlfriend than a boyfriend, and that Ally needs to move beyond a boring vanilla guy to someone more exciting, but vanilla is Ally's favorite flavor of guy. She wants a safe, predictable relationship minus uncomfortable, life-disrupting passion.

Unfortunately, all of her comfort is blown to pieces when Aiden sabotages their two-year relationship by allowing another girl to come between them. He implores Ally to come with him to a party thrown by his science-lab partner, a beautiful, popular cheerleader named Fauna. Ally's suspicion that Fauna is trying to steal her boyfriend is humiliatingly confirmed when Aiden permits Fauna to drag him with her into a closet for a fast makeout session during a game of Spin the Bottle called Three Minutes in Heaven. Ally is devastated that Aiden would be that disloyal, and it seems all too obvious to her, and the 30 other teens playing the game with them, that Aiden wants Fauna as much or more than he does Ally. Then, unexpectedly, the spinning bottle points at Griffin, and he shocks everyone in the room by choosing Ally to be his heaven-mate in the closet. In the throes of angry disillusionment with Aiden, Ally abandons every rule she's ever made for herself about Griff and unresistingly follows him into the same closet that hosted Aiden's downfall. Griffin is a tender, sweet, and astonishingly skilled kisser, something Ally already knows from personal experience. Aiden has no idea--nor does anyone else but Griffin--that this is not the first time Ally has kissed Griffin. A year before, a kiss was Griffin's price for giving into her plea that he not physically put Aiden in his place for presumptuously trash-talking team-captain Griffin from Aiden's lowly position as a newby member of the hockey team. This second experience of kissing Griffin is memorable enough that Ally is roiled with conflicting emotions, longing to return to the tame safety of her relationship with Aiden and simultaneously yearning for the promise of adventure that surrendering to Griffin's obvious interest in her could bring to her life.

This is a really fast, fun read. Ally and Griffin are both very likeable characters. Ally is a naively innocent girl, but she has principles she never hesitates to defend. In the midst of so many dark, "edgy" YA novels these days, it is a refreshing pleasure to encounter a "cleanread" teen novel such as this one where the heroine refuses to go along with the culture of underage drinking and casual sexual hookups surrounding her.

Though this engaging novel never goes beyond kissing, there is a satisfying amount of sexual chemistry between Ally and Griffin. It is both funny and adorable the way she becomes Griff's secret pal by making him treats in her cooking class and anonymously putting them in his locker every day, and it's equally amusing and sweet that Griff obviously enjoys her nurturing gifts.

I would recommend this book for girls as young as 12, all the way up to adults, like myself, who enjoy YA romantic comedy.

Fans of "putting on a play" young-adult comedies, such as "Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List" by Janette RalliTerrific YA romantic comedy

Fans of "putting on a play" young-adult comedies, such as "Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List" by Janette Rallison, classic John Hughes teen comedies such as "Sixteen Candles" from 1984, or the adult romantic comedy movie, "You've Got Mail," will greatly enjoy this fast, fun comedy of errors.

Cassie is an almost-sixteen sophomore who has never been kissed, mainly because, as a shy introvert, she's never dated. Her two best friends insist it's past time for her to launch herself into the world of dating, and they set a deadline that before she turns sixteen in a few weeks, she must kiss a high school boy. Ideally, it would be someone she is attracted to and is dating, but her friends proclaim that being kissed is the paramount necessity, and they have a ten-step plan for accomplishing the goal of shoving Cassie out of her shell.

When they announce their mission to Cassie, it immediately becomes obvious to her friends that though Cassie is at the Volkswagen (or even motor scooter) level of the school's social hierarchy, she has Ferrari tastes. Gorgeous, popular Ryan is, even as a sophomore, one of the hottest guys in school, way out of Cassie's league, and she's had a hopeless crush on him for ages. Not only doesn't he even know she's alive, he has a girlfriend, a cheerleader named Amber who is Cassie's complete opposite. She's as good-looking and outgoing as Ryan, a co-equal member of the school's elite, and her family is almost as prosperous as his. What Ryan doesn't seem to realize, though, is a major flaw in Amber that is glaringly evident to everyone else at school--she doesn't know the meaning of fidelity, as she blatantly cheats on him with multiple boys.

As part of their plan to put Cassie where she has a chance to interact with kissable boys, her friends urge Cassie to try out for the school play, something her BFF's do every year and Cassie never has. No one is surprised when Ryan wins the male lead and Amber is selected as his leading lady, and Cassie is relieved that she herself is only offered a small, non-speaking part. But unfortunately for her issues with shyness, Cassie is also chosen as Amber's understudy. Because of Amber's flakiness about showing up for play practice, the director commands Cassie to take Amber's place, and she's overwhelmed by the simultaneously thrilling and terrifying experience of acting the part of Ryan's beloved on stage.

This is an extremely cute story that is a terrific combination of chick-lit-style, comic, relationship disasters and sweetly sexy romance. Cassie is the classic, naive heroine, and Ryan is a fascinating combination of socially savvy male and seemingly clueless cuckold. In the midst of the comedy, though, Ryan's motivation for staying loyal to his unfaithful girlfriend is carefully and believably exposed.

In addition to the comedy created by the main storyline of the kissless Cassie, there are many moments of laugh-out-loud humor generated by the antics of two marvelous subcharacters who are my particular favorites in this book, the school's coach, who also teaches science, and Cassie's younger brother.

Though this isn't a traditional romance in the sense that Ryan is not technically available to potentially date Cassie for most of the book, the plot device of a central romantic conflict of one of the romantic protagonists being tied up in a relationship with an unfaithful partner is a popular, time-honored trope in romantic comedy movies, and it works very well in this book.

I am a huge fan of comedy in general, and romantic comedy in particular, and I am always delighted when I am fortunate enough to encounter YA romantic comedy. It is, sadly, far too rare, with so much emphasis in the YA market on melodramatic plots, whether in the form of family/social drama or horrifying dystopians. It is the proverbial cherry on the top of the sundae when the YA, romantic-comedy author I discover has as much talent as Emily Evans. In my humble opinion, she is a rising star worthy of the ranks of YA luminaries such as Janette Rallison, and I have read with delight every romantic comedy she's written so far.

Parental Guidance: As is the case with all YA books by Ms. Evans, this is a "clean read," with no more overt sexuality contained in the book than kissing, no swearing, and no drunken, underage parties.

I purchased this book in a Kindle edition, and it is well edited and well formatted.

At the start of this book, Tonya Valentine (Toni) is 17, it is the summer before her senior year, and she turns 18 midwayCute, G-rated, tomboy dramedy

At the start of this book, Tonya Valentine (Toni) is 17, it is the summer before her senior year, and she turns 18 midway through the book. Her father, whom she adored, died in a motorcycle accident two years ago. Her mother remarried a year ago. Toni loves her mother, but she resents her stepfather.

Toni has been close friends for 10 years, since they were in second grade, with three boys who are her age and live on her street. They initially formed a close circle of friendship when they spotted what they all agreed was the tail of a Loch Ness style monster in a local lake in their small hometown in Vermont. Over time, as a group they came up with the following nicknames for each other:

Toni is McRib because at one point she gorged on 10 of them in a single sitting. Micah, Toni's next-door neighbor, is Loch, because he is most interested in seeking out the local Loch Ness monster. Luke is nicknamed Ollie and Justin is Cowboy, for reasons I can't recall.

Even though the four friends have spent many hours together over the years shooting hoops, watching football, playing video games, and hanging out together at school, Toni is convinced that the chief thing holding them together is that they periodically go out on the lake in a hopeful quest to see the lake monster again. At the very beginning of the book, after yet one more failed attempt at a monster sighting, Toni is afraid that Cowboy and Ollie are losing interest in their ongoing quest. In a desperate attempt at renewing her bond with her guys, so that the gang doesn't drift apart, Toni suggests that the four of them moon their principal, who is just leaving the local movie theater with a date. Loch and Cowboy refuse, but Ollie is game. Unfortunately, though Toni and Ollie hide their faces during the prank, the principal figures out who they are and calls their parents. Ollie's parents are so angry, they refuse to fund a snowboarding trip he has been greatly looking forward to. He blames Toni entirely for his punishment and holds a huge grudge against her. Even worse, Toni's mother and her stepfather insist on sending her to an all-girl private school an hour's drive away for two reasons: to drastically reduce the time she spends with her gauche, male friends, and to force her to experience living as a girl, due to the female academy insisting that its students wear skirts and engage in "ladylike" behavior. These two disastrous consequences of Toni's prank are the dead-opposite of what she desired--instead of re-bonding her to her guy friends, it has driven them physically and emotionally farther away.

Toni has never had a female friend or participated in female culture before this new school, and she feels like she's on a foreign planet--until suddenly Toni finds herself comforting a weeping fellow student, and offering her advice on how to win back her boyfriend, which ends with Toni asking Loch to be her friend's pretend date to make her friend's ex jealous. This turns out to be the beginning of Toni's first female friendship, and the dawning of a brand new scheme by Toni to rope her guy friends back into her life. She decides to help them earn much needed money for Ollie's snowbarding and for college by working for Toni's G-rated escort service as fake dates for lovelorn, wealthy girls at Toni's female academy.

This young adult novel combines comedy and drama in a form that I personally would call "dramedy." The main focus of the story is a young-adult staple, "coming of age," and the secondary story is a classic romance plot, falling for the boy next door. I am very happy to report there is no romantic triangle.

The drama comes from Toni's poignant loss of her father and the emotional fallout from that. The comedy lies in slapstick situations surrounding Toni's gender-identity issues as a perpetual tomboy. Her version of being "one of the guys" is to emulate certain crude, immature behaviors of preteen and teenage, male culture, including competitive, loud belching, drooling while sleeping, dripping snot and wiping it on her pants or her sleeve, and scratching her behind in public. There is also frequent emphasis on the slovenliness of her bedroom and car and the fact that she loves wearing ugly, male athletic shorts and sloppy T-shirts as her primary attire.

In a YA market that is saturated with sex, drugs, violence, and suicidally depressed teens, among other dark subjects, it is a pleasure to run across, if not all-out comedy, at least a mix of comedy and drama, such as occurs in this novel. There is no swearing, and no sexual contact beyond kissing. There is one scene of drinking to excess at a wild party, but it is not glorified because most of the drunken teens get sick.

Overall, I would rate this book as G shading a bit toward PG due to the underage drinking.

I absolutely loved this book! It is pure delight! I laughed out loud throughout. Strong heroine, terrifically well done marching band / drumline settiI absolutely loved this book! It is pure delight! I laughed out loud throughout. Strong heroine, terrifically well done marching band / drumline setting. Great romantic interest. I read it straight through in one sitting because I could not bear to put it down.

Jules is a senior in high school who is a driven overachiever. The motivation given for her over-the-top perfectionism iCute, G-rated chick lit comedy

Jules is a senior in high school who is a driven overachiever. The motivation given for her over-the-top perfectionism is that she believes her two moms--a very loving, supportive lesbian couple who have been together for decades--are spending a fortune raising her, and she feels very guilty if she doesn't make it well worth their while by hyperachieving, due to her very existence costing them so much money. The romantic interest in the story is the titular "new guy," Alex, who was a member of a classic "one hit wonder" boy band several years ago, a band much like the Monkees of the 1960's who were put together by a band promoter, not a group who, as their band's promoters claimed, came together organically on their own. Until she meets Alex, Jules is determined to not date at all until she gets to college, and her huge goal in life is to get accepted into the highly competitive, Ivy League school, Brown University in Rhode Island. But soon after she meets gorgeous, adorable Alex, she can't resist him and soon starts dating him. Unfortunately, when Alex is drawn into taking the side of her greatest rival at the school, and he doesn't understand that in Jules's eyes by doing so he has betrayed her, their two-week romance hits the rocks when Jules dumps him.

I'm a huge fan of YA comedy, and there is not nearly enough of it offered by publishers or indie authors in my opinion, so I was delighted to encounter this book. My only quibble with the book is the way the publisher has chosen to market it as primarily a romance novel. The center of Jules's story universe is not "the new boy," Alex, as one would expect in a romance novel. Instead, the main plot, what one might call the "A Plot," is a comedic, chick lit version of a classic, YA storyline, the "coming of age" plot. In contrast, the romance is a secondary B Plot in that Jules and Alex spend most of the book not on stage together.

Once I got clear in my mind what kind of story this actually is, I was able to go with the flow of it and enjoy it. If I were thinking of it as a romance, however, I would be disappointed in that we never really get to know Alex. His personality isn't very well developed, though I will say that what we do know of him is sympathetic. He's a very sweet, understanding, mellow guy with a strong sense of tolerance and a well-developed sense of humor--all traits he definitely needs to handle being in a relationship with Jules who, as I've indicated, is very tightly wound.

Anyone who enjoys situation comedies, with their high population of slightly (or totally) narcissistic comic characters, will recognize in Jules a classic comic character who is frequently self-absorbed in her singleminded pursuit of her goals, sometimes to the point of not noticing she is running down other people in her path on her way to where she wants to go. However, like most sympathetic comic characters, she has many redeeming characteristics, in particular her love and loyalty for her pets and her parents. I always enjoy plots, as well, where the lead protagonist's greatest strength is her greatest flaw. In this case her virtue/vice it is her enormous self-discipline. In the positive this trait has brought Jules enormous academic success. In the negative in this story it gives her an imbalanced life and leads her to inadvertently harm herself and others.

There is an excellent growth arc in this book, and overall Jules is a likeable character.

This book is G-rated, without swearing, drinking, drugs or underage sex and, as such, can be enjoyed by all ages.